DICE: Elite-style subscription services are all about the money, not "actual value"

OXM UK: "I honestly think that if you weren't doing it to make more money, you wouldn't do it," says Battlefield 3 producer.

[dirigiblebill]

In other news, grass is green and the sky is generally higher than the ground.

[Trunkz]

Anyway!

DICE have it right, things like that should be free. In the FPS genre, there should NEVER be a monthly/yearly bill, that's what makes FPS great you buy the game and your good to go.

[Crazyglues]

LMAO.. @ dirigiblebill

That's cold, but that is funny as hell... yes it's true, real gamers knew all alone that this was not adding any value... -but to each his own..

If people feel they should pay to see there stats and a heat-map of where they keep getting owned, then by all means it's your money... -(oh and to those people Please see me after you read this, I got a bridge I'm selling for an incredible low price)

I have been in the Elite beta and I can tell you I personally would never use the service, just because I don't spend my time looking at stats when I could be playing...

-it's like reading the Manual before playing a video game... Who does that, if I have to read the manual before playing the game then someone miss the whole point when making this game..

it's suppose to be fun... not a choir, going to the site seems more like work then fun..

What would have been really cool and amazing was if they gave me that data in real time, so Like once you pick your load out and you start playing you can tap select and see a pop-up over your head showing you have a 75pecent kill ratio with this gun... (you know like how you tap in football to see who is open to throw the ball too) -kinda like that.

-and then in real time show me that this spot here on the map glowing in red is where I tend to get killed a lot... Now that type of real time personal integration I could see as adding value..

-But when you do it like it's 1982 and I just pulled my Atari 2600 out the box, I can't see why anyone would want to pay for your stats when tons of companies do the same thing for free and have been for years - Uncharted, Battlefield.. just two that come to mind, that I have always been able to check my stats on

yes I know it's a little more then just stats but it's not much more then that.

If anything I think it's a genius way to get you to pay for something you really don't need, it's also a way to tie in guaranteed sales of my map packs -where before you might have not bought them, but now tied into the package, I tell you guess what you get them for free, but really you paid for them..

and the free is annually so most gamers will forget they are paying for the service and just keep paying long after they have stopped playing MW3 -So from a company stand point it's genius for robbing it's gamers blind -but from a value standpoint it sucks big time... ..imo

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[Persistantthug]

Unfortunately there's alot of fools in this world.....unfortunately.

[Crazyglues]

Ok someone has informed me that I might have it wrong as someone told me that the stats will remain free and the paid service will be for the premium features which are the map packs, tournaments and clan leveling...

So ok I just got the link - here is what is free and what is paid...

http://www.callofduty.com/e...

It's also 49.99 Ouch!! I don't know why but that price point seems a little crazy, so like 4 dollars a month or something like that.

-(Really Activision) ..LoL

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[JellyJelly]

And he also said: "I think there's room for products like it, for instance the freemium model is quite popular and apparently does work - simply because if you have enough people playing it some people will pay extra - but forcing people to pay for it will actually lock out more people.

I'd rather sell people something new like Bad Company 2: Vietnam, where you can see an actual value in it and make that individual choice - but I don't believe in milking people without giving them something back. With a shooter like this, it's not like it's World of Warcraft - it's something quite different."

[Jam_sponge]

I don't think Elite's so controversial. Plain and simple, there are people out there who're prepared to pay for stuff like unlimited HD video capture. Doesn't mean the rest of us can't have fun with the free services.

[Trunkz]

They are robbing people of money for something that should be free and they know it. They have so many fans they deserve to give something back to them without charge.

[JsonHenry]

They are already keep all those stats tracked anyway as it is. I'm in the beta, like everyone else, and I really just don't see why anyone would pay extra money for it. But hey, it is their money let them spend it how they want.

[Fishy Fingers]

And some player/gun skins are great value for money eh DICE.

They're all as bad as each other. They'll push their luck as far as their fan base will allow them.

[NarooN]

You're talking about that SPECACT stuff? You weren't forced to buy those packs and they literally did nothing besides give you guns earlier with new skins. It wasn't like you got some massive advantage or anything.

[Hufandpuf]

No one really paid for those. At least I didn't. There was a way to get them for free without buying dr. Pepper or paying on XBL.

[Ser]

Oh, please, guy.

Who's paying for those? I'm not. I'm getting them for FREE because I'm pre-ordering.

Can you pre-order MW3 and receive a free year of Elite? NOPE, not unless you buy a ridiculously overpriced limited edition.

[Blade_Runner]

If Epic can charge $40 for a bunch of weapon skins for Gears 3 then I don't see why Activision keep getting called out as the bad guy. They are all at it in one way or another. At least COD doesn't have any online pass required to play online

[theonlylolking]

Elite is optional pay.

[Oschino1907]

Exactly, a majority of the basic services (which there are tons of) already trump or rival what any other game stat site has are FREE!!! What you pay for is, wait here it comes...

All 20 pieces of DLC for the game split up over every month for 9 months including maps, spec ops missions, game modes and more that you keep even after payed service expires.

Daily Comp Program Guide giving you access to prized events and digital trophies on a daily basis with official leagues for solo and clan players.

Extra Clan Benefits to set yourself apart and give you more for your clan to do.

Dynamic Expert Stratigies giving you text and video guides/tips/tactics for every map/gun/playmode with the ability to add on or make your own.

Join Premium Groups (groups of all paying memebers seperate from the FREE public groups everyone can make so you know who can play in the payed tourneys and comps)

Early Access to all new features

Premium Theater for more storage and longer video length and also Elite TV an episodic video entertainment made for player by players.

If you get the Pre Order Hardened Edition you get the full year for only $40 rather then $50 and also gain access to Founder Status which adds a special Camo, Player Card, Emblem, Profile Skin, Clan XP boost, Private Founders Group along with exclusive Comps and Prizes.

Personally I can see why people wouldnt want to pay for it and would just use the FREE stuff which already looks awesome but if your a big COD player I don't see why you wouldnt pay for it. Its like PS Plus, I am not really into most of the things they have so to me its not worth it except for a few things here or there but for my friends who like those things its the best service ever and they use the shit out of it. Its a great value from what I have seen thus far especially since you get a majority of the basic services free, you only pay for actual things that add value to the overall game. If youre a serious COD player this is a cant miss service. If you are casual no need to even worry about it, just get the game and play it and you will never notice the diff, other then that the Free services alone are amongst the best out there to this date.

Full info of whats Free and whats in the Paid service
http://www.callofduty.com/e...

[PixL]

We'll have the most epic milking with MW3:
- once, you pay for your console and game
- twice, you pay for XBL Gold
- triple, you pay for Elite.

Three times for the same product. Not different, not another version. The same.

For those who say "it's optional". Now it is. Next game, because a lot of sheep will follow, it will be compulsory. Of course you may not care for MW3 but what if it becomes an industry standard like online passes?

Vote now with your wallet or it'll be raped in near future.

[NarooN]

Don't bother trying to talk sense here, no one will listen besides people who already know what's up. Why play some trash like MW3 when I can play [insert other awesome game here]? I'd much rather play Quake or CS than play the football of FPS.

[Norrix94]

I see. And EA's sports season ticket and online pass system is "for the fans", right??

[Venjense]

Watch, next version of Battlefield will have something similar when they see how much money Activision makes. I don't like it but it's probably true.

Everyone is going to monetize MP as much as possible.

[Bladesfist]

Boycott elite then. Simple. Im not buying mw3 or elite.

[Kaos_Vll]

@ V

And watch when it happens these same folks will suddenly have a change of heart and think it's great.

EA's ONLINE PASS is ten times worse than this.